





































































out 

,mi 20 19»0 




Activity of 

Junior Order United American Mechanics. 


I N the Spring of last year we urged a few earnest friends to 
make an active and united campaign against the restric- 


tionists, and we were answered that to begin work so far 


from the opening of Congress would be a loss of energy. 

The following letter, dated March 27, 1907, shows that 
the Junior Order United American Mechanics was active 


before this time, without regard to the remoteness of the Con¬ 
gressional session : 


EDW. S. DEEMER, National Secretary, 
P. O. Box 766, Philadelphia, Pa. 


W. E. FAISON, Junior Past National Councilor, 


W. L. S. GILCREAST, National Councilor, 
Methuen, Mass. 

H. C. SCHAERTZER, National Vice-Councilor, 
3320 32nd St., San Francisco, Cal. 


Raleigh, N. C. 


CHARLES REIMER, National Treasurer, 


1832 West Saratogo St., Baltimore, Md. 


National Council 


Junior (Mrr Unitrii Amrrtran Ulrrfjantrs 




Z. P. SMITH, Chairman, Raleigh, N. C. 

JESSE TAYLOR, Secretary, Jamestown, Ohio. 

A. D. WILKINS, 520 Bakewell Building, Pittsburg, Pa. 


Jamestown, Ohio, March 27, 1907. 

4 

Hon. John A. Keliher, 

Boston, Mass. 

My dear Mr. Keliher: 

It doesn't matter so much, 
for the purpose of the discussion of the 
immigration question, whether or not pro- 



4 


tection is a wise, economic policy <rr 
but the point we wish to make is that if you 
justify protection on the ground that it 
advantages American labor to protect his 
employer from having his goods put in the 
competition with goods manufactured abroad, 
what have you to say to the American working¬ 
man for your failure to vote to protect him 
from the foreign laborer, who comes here to 
sell the same wares that are sold by the 
American mechanic, to wit, the product of his 
brain and hand ? 

During the 60th Congress will you 
support a bill for the restriction of immi¬ 
gration which will exclude the illiterates 
(of whom there were 265,068 last year), and 
contract laborers, and for a bill that will 
materially lessen the number of immigrants 
coming into the United States annually ? 


Sincerely yours. 



5 


To show further the zeal of the Junior Order United 
American Mechanics we reprint the following - item from the 
Brooklyn Standard Union , August 9, 1906 : 

“ Fraternal Social Items. 

“A regular meeting of William McKinley Council, Jr. 
O. U. A. M., was held last Monday evening in their lodge room in 
the Johnson Building, Fulton and Nevins streets. Several mat¬ 
ters of great importance were discussed and, considering the 
weather being so warm, there was a large number of members on 
hand. In the midst of the meeting all the lights went out, leaving 
the room in total darkness. The members went to their store¬ 
room and got candles, when they continued their business. The 
immigration committee is doing some great hustling.” 

The reader will be surprised to learn that the day this' 
meeting was held, August 6, was the hottest day of the year, 
as will be seen from the following condensed account taken 
from The New York Times of August 7 : 

‘14 KILLED BY HEAT OF 

RECORD-BREAKING DAY. 

“lOO Prostrated on the Hottest August 6 in Twenty-five 

Years. 

" THOUSANDS SLEPT OUT-DOORS. 

“ Parks, Piers, Beaches and Fire-Escapes Crowded.” 


“ Yesterday was the hottest day of 1906 and the hottest 
August 6 in twenty-five years. Last night a large part of New 
York slept out of doors in one fashion or another. The percentage 
of atmospheric humidity was 70 yesterda}- morning at 11 o’clock, 
going down somewhat during the afternoon. It was enough at all 
times of the day to make the boiling human think that he couldn’t 
have felt more uncomfortable. In Newark, Paterson, Jersey City 
and other places, some mills and factories shut down for part of 
the day. Yesterday Deputy-Commissioner of Docks Judge made 
arrangements to keep the recreation piers lighted all night during 
the extremely hot spell. Usually the lights go out at 11 o’clock. 

“ When Magistrate Moss took his seat in the Essex Market 
Court yesterday morning he gave notice that he would not com¬ 
mit anyone to prison for a trivial offense during the day. 






6 


“ Brooklyn Hotter than Manhattan. 

“ The weather man in Brooklyn yesterday afternoon at 2 
o’clock said that his thermometer showed 94, though the mercury 
at the same time in Manhattan was only 92. Between 3 and 4 
o’clock the mercury rose one degree on this side of the river, and 
at that time in Brooklyn the thermometer showed the figure of 95. 

“ The percentage of humidity, moreover, in Brooklyn was 
several degrees higher than in Manhattan, both day and night.” 

Even this unbearable heat in Brooklyn did not prevent 
the Junior Order United American Mechanics from holding a 
largely attended meeting in that City, and keeping up its fight 
against immigration. 

We call upon all American citizens who have a broader 
view of the value of immigration to this country to show a like 
degree of earnestness and ardor in behalf of their convictions. 
It is by such diligence that we shall maintain liberal immigra¬ 
tion, and show the Immigration Commission what is the desire 
and need of the more conservative and thoughtful classes of 
the American people. 

As an example of the work that should be done we give 
the following item from The New York Times , which is in 
reference to the La Follette Hours of Service Bill, limiting the 
working hours of the railroad telegraph operators : 

“ That measure was in conference, and the conferees were 
engaged in hammering the life out of it. Then the operators 
came to the rescue. Every operator in the country sent at least 
one message to his Congressman and to each of his Senators. And 
then he went out and got his friends to telegraph also. 

“ At one time two wastebasketfuls of messages were carted 
into the House and dumped on the desk for distribution. It looked 
like an insurrection of the whole United States. Of course there 
was only one thing to do, and that was for the conferees to fix up 
the bill so that it would suit the telegraphers. Nowhere on earth 
do men run to cover more Promptly than in Congress when it becomes 
apparent to them that public opinion is aroused. The operators had 
succeeded perfectly in creating the impression that it was aroused. 
The result was that members of both Houses labored with the 
conferees to put the bill in proper shape. The necessity of fixing 


7 


it up was made clear to them, and so they fixed it up, fixed it so 
well in fact, that to-night the trainmen’s representative is wonder¬ 
ing whether the men have not really got more than they were 
after. He is somewhat inclined to think the railroads will be 
compelled to give the men more time off than they will like. 
However that may turn out, the day furnished a fine illustration 
of what may be done in shaping legislation when public opinion 
goes to work.” 

The real public opinion of the country is opposed to the 
selfish organizations that are so frantically trying to close our 
ports to honest immigrant labor, and needs but to follow the 
above cited example to make itself decisively effective. To 
that end the voters, in every district should resolutely convey 
their wishes to their Congressmen and other representatives, 
and have resolutions passed similar to the following : 


RESOLUTIONS. 


At a meeting of. 

held this.day of.the following 

resolutions were unanimously carried *. 

Whereas, Several bills have been introduced in Congress pro¬ 
viding new restrictive measures against immigrants with the view 
to check immigration ; and 

Whereas, The existing laws are sufficient to bar out undesirable 
immigrants, such as the diseased and the criminals : be it therefore 

Resolved, That the members of this organization protest 
against the restrictive bills now before Congress ; and further 

Resolved, That a copy of this protest and resolution be sent to 
the Representative of our District in Congress with the request that 
he oppose any attempt to further restrict immigration to the United 
States. 


As the League is the only organization that is working 
openly and frankly for liberal immigration, all who take a hand 
in this campaign are requested to communicate with us, and 
strengthen our hands. 






























































































. 

. - 


































































■ 






















